Epic Legends
by Guardian Alpha
Summary: The Tainted Coil are under new leadership as a son of Doviculus takes the throne. Ironheade is called back into service after eighteen years of peace, but a new leader has taken the reins for the humans as well.
1. Epic Set-Up

Epic Legends  
Chapter 1: Epic Set-Up

Disclaimer: I do not own Brutal Legend or any of the characters involved except Talia

Hundreds of years ago, in a land that fought for the glory of its metal. Lived a girl, her name, was Talia Riggs.

Eighteen years ago, in the second Black Tear Rebellion, Roadie Eddy Riggs banded the humans together to defeat their demon oppressors. Now, eighteen years later, the people have become too used to peace, and when a new Demon Emperor rises from the ashes and claims the temple of Ormagodden as his base, the humans once again set forward to form Ironheade and put a stop to this evil, but there's also another group along for the ride…

Talia was driving down the road, behind her was some head banger who wasn't paying attention to where he was going and nearly drove off the road; the razor girl in his passenger seat wasn't helping either. Talia sighed as she gave him the finger, turning off the road and heading home. She was living with her parents in Bladehenge, the home city of the human race. She pulled her car up next to her dad's and opened the door. She stepped out, putting her feet on the dirt outside their house.

She was an eighteen year girl. She had long black hair that came down to her back; she was wearing a black shirt with the falling crow symbol and a jacket with the Ironheade symbol on the back, she had moderate breasts. She had pants on with a skirt over the top and black sneakers. Spiked bracelets dangled from her wrists and a studded belt with the icon to Ormagodden as the buckle.

She walked into the house and saw Eddy sitting on the couch. Ophelia was sitting next to him. Eddy was holding a piece of paper.

"What is it dad?" Talia asked approaching the two.

"Nothin' Tal." Eddy said standing up and crumpling the paper in his hands.

Ophelia looked up at him then at Talia. "You need to tell her Eddy. This affects her too."

"Tell me what." Talia asked

"There's a new demon emperor. He just took the temple of Ormagodden to seal his right to be the leader of the tainted coil."

"How did he take it? I thought we left guards there once the bridge was rebuilt." Talia asked

"We did, but they weren't enough to stop him." Eddy answered

"Well then what do we do?" She asked

"We reform Ironheade. We're going on a reunion tour to take this guy out." Eddy clenched his fist in front of his face as he said this.

"I'm coming."

"No."

"I'm coming."

"No, you're not. I don't want you getting hurt."

Talia scoffed at him. "Who's the guy who took me Tollusk hunting?"

"That was dif-"

"What about the time you took me to see the sea of black tears?"

"It was alright-"

"What about the time you took me, and jumped off the cliff onto the beach, a one-hundred foot drop with three minutes of air time?"

"You did what?!" Ophelia asked suddenly

Eddy cringed at the sound of her speaking up. "Icksnay on the jumpay Tal."

"My point is, you've taken me on half of the dangerous stuff to do. I want to see what it was like to fight beside you eighteen years ago. Don't forget aunt Lita's been training me."

"N-"

"Dad, think about it. You're getting older, and pretty soon you won't be able to fight. If something happens we'll need a leader, and I'm not gonna sit on my ass and watch from the sidelines." Talia said in a firm voice.

Eddy was silent for a moment, and then he sighed "Alright."

"Yes." Talia said pumping her arm. "I'll go get my stuff." She ran upstairs to her room.

"Ophs, why do I feel like I just made a mistake?" Eddy asked her

"Did that ever stop you before?" She asked

"No, but this one feels like it might actually go wrong."

Talia's footsteps echoed off the staircase as she came down, two hand axes were attached to her belt. "I'm ready."

Eddy nodded as he walked across their living room and picked up his axe that was hanging on the mantle. Putting it on his back he looked to Ophelia who walked over and grabbed her two swords hanging above where his axe had been. She took them off the wall and sheathed them on her belt.

"Let's rock." Eddy said excitedly as he led them out the door. He hopped in the Deuce with Ophelia while Talia hopped in her car. It looked just like her father's only it was smaller and it had been painted over in the chrome style.

Eddy backed out and started to head to the military district of Bladehenge. This was where Ironheade was never forgotten, as every member of the human race was taught how to fight from their fathers and mothers who had fought in the black tear rebellion.

Eddy pulled up and slid into a parking spot, Talia stopped next to him and they hopped out.

The trio made their way across the parking lot to see some of the army was in a training session. It was a mock stage battle, there was a stage set up for Ironheade, and some merch booths had been put up around some of the nearby geysers. Across the field another stage was set up and it had paper cut outs of Doviculus' army, as well as some of his merch booths.

"Watch and learn Tal. This is what war is like." Eddy told her

She nodded as she watched a Thunderhog's rider took charge and ordered the troops into position. He had some of the Headbangers lead the charge, behind them were bouncers and Metal Beasts. He posited them around some of his own Thunderhogs.

"What about the razor girls?" She asked

"Wait for it." Eddy replied

The army began to more forward, two squads of Razor girls fanned out to flank the enemy while a squad of Roadies snuck off into the field somewhere. Talia lost sight of them quickly. The armies collided, the infantry tearing apart the cardboard and steel mannequins and the razor girls appeared in position to fire down on them. Meanwhile the roadies appeared and started to tear down the enemy stage, after the army was dealt with the rest of Ironheade joined in and they quickly finished the fight.

As the stage exploded Eddy cheered loudly.

"Nice job guys, Mangus!" he shouted

"Hey boss, didn't notice you standing there." Mangus' reply came through the stage speakers.

"Yeah, we need a couple of loads and a bus." Eddy replied "And a stage manager, not to mention a few walkies."

Mangus nodded to himself as he began the dispatch. Soon there was a bus being loaded with all of the Ironheade units and equipment.

"Alright Tal." I'm gonna move on ahead and scout the area. I want you to stay behind the bus and watch from the rear. We don't know how powerful this new demon is yet. I don't want to get caught in an ambush."

Talia nodded as she climbed into her car. "Alright dad."

Eddy threw the Deuce in gear and took off, the bus began to follow, and Talia followed the bus. It was an uneventful drive as the caravan made their way to the bridge. When they arrived Eddy stopped them and hopped out to talk to Talia.

"Alright, we're here. Now listen. This won't be a stage battle like the one you saw earlier. I only brought those guys with me so that when we're done we can leave a larger standing force here to prevent this from happening again."

Talia nodded, the logic made sense.

"But, that doesn't mean we won't meet a lot of guys who are gonna try and stop us, so stick close to some guys and don't get caught alone, that's the worst way for you to go down."

Talia sighed "I know all this dad. Aunt Lita told me about it."

"Alright, alright." Eddy said holding up his hands.

"Let's move!" He shouted to the bus driver, hopping in the Deuce again before driving off. The bus began to roll after him, and Talia followed after the bus. The caravan actually met no resistance on their way to the temple. When they arrived at the feeding pit Eddy called the caravan to a halt and began to pick squads for the mission.

"Alright, Headbangers, two squads of you guys over there, Razorgirls, two squads of there, I want two Thunderhogs boxed in over between you guys and some Bouncers. Metal Beasts, take up the rear."

The army moved into position and Eddy took the leader with Ophelia, he positioned Talia nearby to lead the right flank of the army.

They advanced up the bridge toward the temple, and as the entered the antechamber, where Eddy had first discovered the power of metal, they noticed a few battle-nuns were standing guard. Along with a few druids.

"Alright." Eddy said as he peered through a peephole in the door. "This is it, get ready."

Eddy leaned back and lifted his foot before kicking back the hinges and slamming the doors wide open. "Ass kickers unite!" He shouted aiming his hand at the small squad.

Ironheade rushed forward and began to destroy the small squad, after a minute the dead bodies of the two battle nuns and the druids were laying on the floor.

"Man that was awesome!" Eddy shouted "Reminds me of when we ambushed some guys in the last war."

"Then let's make this an ambush for the ages." Talia said, mimicking her dad's comment he'd used before.

Eddy nodded and led the charge through the giant pile of bones to the top of the mountain. There the rebuilt temple to Ormagodden stood as a symbol of the great titans of long ago. It was here that Eddy Riggs appeared eighteen years ago to lead the second human rebellion, and finish the demon emperor Doviculus. As they entered the dark chamber they saw three druids crouched in front of a long figure. It was crouched down, a long handled spear in its hands. It stood up and dislodged the spear from the ground.

"So, you're Eddy Riggs." It said, a demonic voice that was male.

"Yeah. And you're the new demon emperor?" Eddy asked.

"I am." He turned to them so they now saw he was bare chested, stiches crossed his chest and stomach in a random haphazard pattern. He was slightly shorter than Doviculus, and his weapon was identical, instead of the twin headed spear Doviculus had used, this emperor had a single long curved blade at the end of his. His legs were garbed in folded robes and boots covered what wasn't covered by the robes. His face looked relatively human, except for the two horns that protruded from his forehead and his face was covered in the same black veil that Doviculus had.

Talia cringed back a little as he turned. He looked at her and grinned, revealing slightly spiked fangs.

"What brings you here, to my domain?" he asked, brandishing the spear to indicate the temple.

"This isn't your lands. This belongs to the humans of Ironheade." Eddy told him.

"So naïve, this land belongs to the Tainted Coil." He told them in a condescending tone.

"Unless we take it from you." Eddy told him.

"Oh, I don't think that will be happening." The Emperor said as he held up a hand, a large number of Soul Kissers and a few Punishing Parties emerged from the shadows and surrounded them.

Eddie and Talia raised their hands in a U "Evicerate!" the shouted together

Ironheade responded to the call with a shout and charged forward. Talia rushed in with them, her twin axes swinging in deadly arcs, decapitating any enemy that dared step too close. Eddy and Ophelia approached the demon emperor.

"You think you can defeat me? The demon emperor, the son of the great Doviculus?" The emperor asked them.

"I beat your dad, I can beat you too." Eddy told him grabbing his axe with both hands.

"I'd like to see you try." He said before his chest opened revealing his guitar, similar to his fathers except it only had two fret boards instead of four. He played a quick solo and flaming chains ripped from the ground binding Eddy and Ophelia.

Talia saw them nearby. "Mom! Dad!" She shouted rushing over and hacking her way through two punishing parties. As she reached them the demon emperor dropped down in a stab. Talia leapt back and was quickly surrounded by Soul Kissers, the rest of the army was busy fighting the Tainted Coil, she was stuck, alone and surrounded.

"Oh, you look so… terrified, you're making me long for you." The emperor said.

"Like I'd ever fall for a guy like you." She told him.

"Don't be like that, if it was possible, I would have you bear my offspring, we could make beautiful soldiers together." He said reaching out his hand toward her.

She swung her axe at him and he recoiled.

"Fine, if that's the way it'll be. I think I'll take your father as a tribute to this battle, maybe I'll mount his head on my wall."

"No!" She shouted swinging in a power attack to spread the Soul Kissers, but the emperor had already grabbed Eddy and bound him and Ophelia with the chains before grabbing them both and spreading his wings. He flew away toward the mountains between the drowned lands and Bladehenge.

"Dad! Mom!" Talia shouted as she finished off the Soul Kissers.

The rest of Ironheade had dispatched the enemy and now ran over to see the Emperor flying away with Eddy and Ophelia.

"What do we do?" One of the Headbangers asked.

"We need to get back to Bladehenge. Lita, Rima, The Baron, and The Killmaster should know what to do." Talia told them.

They nodded and they all boarded the bus. They their way back to Bladehenge, once they arrived Talia went to discuss with the leaders what their next plan of action was.

Once the group was gathered together in Eddy's living room Talia explained what happened.

"A new demon Emperor, and you say he looks more dangerous than Doviculus?" The Killmaster asked, lowering his glasses.

"Yes, his chains of hell lasted way too long and he was able to change it from just keeping them to the ground to tying up mom and dad." Talia told them.

"But, what could he want? The demons were easily defeated the last time." Lita said.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it must be big, and he's pretty sure they'll succeed, the temple of Ormagodden was a sign of that." Talia said. "He captured Dad to get him out of the way because he knew he played a pivotal role in the last rebellion. I bet he's after you next Lita."

Lita nodded.

"Well, I say we take the fight to them, they can't be too far away." The Baron said punching his fist into his hand.

"Agreed, but we need a leader, a true warrior, one who knows how to lead an army." Rima said.

They all turned to Talia.

"Me?" She asked, seeing their stares.

"Why not? You're Eddy's daughter, he could lead us just as well as Lars or Lita, and if Lita's at risk it'd be stupid of us to send her out there." The Killmaster explained.

Talia nodded at his words, she turned her back to them and began to pace across the room. Eventually she nodded to herself and grabbed a map from the table. She laid it out on the coffee table in the middle and called the others over.

"Alright, tell everyone to load up on a few buses. We'll head to the Zaulia temple first and make our lines of defense at the pleasure tower, and the bridge, a secondary base will be placed at Death's Clutch as a precaution. We'll have a stage here at Bladehenge as a last resort."

They nodded confirmation of the plan, their idea that Talia could lead them was looking like a good one. Later, they left the house to prepare their troops and set up the stage.

Three hours later, Ironheade was back on the road, four buses and Talia's car, along with three squads of Fire Barons.

"Alright, We don't know what we're up against so keep an eye out for anything that looks suspicious." Talia said over a radio.

"Right!" Voices called in reply.

The caravan drove silently for a few minutes until they reached the pleasure dome, there they set up a stage on the far side of the cleave, just inside the pleasure dome. After a few minutes of rest they mounted up again and drove to Death's Clutch. They set up a stage there, and the now remaining two buses drove with them until they arrived at the bridge. There they set up a stage, and about ten minutes later they were camped out at the Zaulia Temple, an Ironheade Stage blocking the way out of the jungle.

"Now that we've got this done, what's next Talia?" The Killmaster asked.

The core group of leaders had gathered in Talia's tent to see what their next course of action was.

"I guess we wait." Talia said looking over the map to make sure they hadn't missed anywhere.

"I think we should call up Bladehenge to send us another bus, in case we decide to push farther or we can attack." Killmaster suggested.

Talia nodded slowly as she thought about it. She brought out a walkie-talkie.

"Bladehenge, can you hear me?" She asked.

"We read you Talia, what's up?" A voice replied.

"Send us another bus with an escort." She told them.

"Understood." The voice replied.

A few hours later, the bus arrived and everyone got off.

"Well, well, what a show…" The Emperor's voice echoed to them.

They looked up and saw the Emperor floating above them.

"Why don't you come down here and fight!" Talia called to him.

"I don't think so… I'd much rather see you tear yourselves apart." The Emperor told them.

"Talia! Drowning Doom have been spotted coming up from the swamp!" A scout called to ther.

Her eyes closed into a glare at the Demon Emperor.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, you should've seen this coming." The Emperor warned them.

"Who are you?" She shouted at him, "And what have you done with my parents?"

"Don't worry, your father is safe in my dungeons, your mother on the other hand…" he began to chuckle.

"You monster!" She shouted, her eyes turning yellow and her skin darkening.

Talia suddenly felt a pain in her back, she gasped and fell forward onto her knees. Small spikes ripped themselves from her back and she screamed in pain. The spikes continued to grow, revealing a pair of leathery wings like Eddy's, only her were smaller.

She glared up at the Demon Emperor.

"Seems you've got Eddy's blood in you." The Killmaster told her.

She flapped her wings experimentally before rocketing off toward the demon emperor. She drew her axes and swung at him, he blocked her attack with his spear before kicking her away.

"Your mother is fine, I was kidding you." The Demon Emperor told her quietly so the people didn't hear them below.

"Why? Why would you do that? Who are you?" She asked

"I am the son of Emperor Doviculus, I was born from one of his warfathers, giving me the magic power of the Tainted Coil as well as the right to rule!" He proclaimed loudly.

"What's your name?" She shouted at him.

"Urveil… Not that it matters in your twisted tongue." He told her.

"Urveil…" She whispered to herself.

"You'd better get going, it doesn't seem your troops are handing themselves too well." Urveil told her, indicating the ground with his spear.

Talia turned to see the Drowning Doom was easily defeating the Ironheade army.

"Damn it." She said diving down, as she got close she closed her wings and spread her axes in an attack stance.

"These gloomy mothers got us while you were up there talking to the Demon Emperor." The Baron told her as he drove by and threw a molotov on a Grave Digger.

"I don't understand, why did the Drowning Doom come back? I thought they dispersed after my mother was rescued from the Sea of Black Tears, and I thought we had defensive measures to keep them locked up?" Talia asked.

"Talia! Talia!" Two voices cried over the radio.

"Who is this?" She asked.

"It's Jack and Cage, the Drowning Doom overran our position. We've never seen so many of them." Jack told her.

"Are you two alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're fine bu-"

"Get back to Bladehenge, take the car you were assigned." She told them, "I've got to go, things are a little messy right now."

She put the Radio away and rushed into the fight, hacking and slashing anything in her path. As she got closer to the core of the army she began to feel her legs and arms become heavier, and her axes become lighter.

"What's happening?" She asked herself.

"Those damn brides slow down anything that isn't friendly that gets too close." The Killmaster explained as he drove past, ramming a few gravediggers.

"The Organists decrease the damage we can deal with our weapons by making them lighter." Lita called over as she tried to kill one of the brides.

Talia spotted one of the Organists, she ran as fast as she could and began to swing at it with all her might.

As she attacked the vehicle the Organist looked down at her and gasped as he saw her shirt.

"Mistress." The Organist said, bowing to her.

The daunting melody stopped affecting her and Talia destroyed the Organist, the rest of the Drowning Doom noticed the Organist's actions and bowed to Talia.

"Get out of here!" She shouted as she charged at them, hacking and slashing at them all.

The Grave Diggers signaled a general retreat and began to run from Ironheade.

"That's right! And don't come back!" Talia shouted at them.

As Ironheade began to gather up the wounded Lita approached Talia.

"What was that about? With the Organist?" She asked

"What do you mean?" Talia asked.

"Well, after you started attacking him their melody and their effects ignored you. You were darting around hacking and slashing at everything in sight, faster than any of us."

"I don't know, maybe because my mom was part Tear Drinker that I'm immune to their effects, maybe it just needed to be activated, like my wings." She suggested.

Lita nodded as she thought about this. "That makes sense, your father has done everything he can to keep you from open battle and as far away from The Sea of Black Tears as possible."

"I wonder why…" Talia said to herself.

Lita overheard her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"To keep you safe." She said.

Talia nodded and walked away. Meanwhile, with the Drowning Doom.

"Did anyone else notice the mark on their leader?" One of the Grave Diggers asked.

"I did, it was a match, guaranteed." Said an Organist.

"Then a new Mistress has come to us. We must prepare for her arrival." The Grave Digger said.

"Agreed." They all replied.


	2. Secrets Revealed

Epic Legend  
Chapter 2: Secrets Revealed

Disclaimer: I do not own Brutal Legend or any of the characters involved except Talia.

Ironheade was currently camped outside the Zaulia Temple, tending to the wounded and loading a bus with the bodies of those slain in the battle to take to the graveyard near Bladehenge.

Talia was sitting in her tent looking over the map when she heard a knocking on the wooden post between the flaps.

"Come in." She said.

Lita entered, letting the tent flap fall behind her.

"What's up?" Talia asked.

"I was wondering what you're going to do after the Drowning Doom attacked us." Lita told her.

"I was thinking we should take the fight to them and re-secure our lands before we try and march on the demons." Talia stated

"Sounds reasonable, but are you sure you should lead that charge? I mean the Drowning Doom is tainted by The Sea of Black Tears, as your mother was driven to do. I don't want the same thing happening to you, you've already got Black Water in your blood, and you don't need to make it worse." Lita said, putting a hand on Talia's shoulder.

"I'll be fine to lead us." Talia said taking Lita's hand off her shoulder.

"If you're sure." Lita said.

Talia nodded as Lita turned to leave. "Thanks for the concern though."

Lita nodded as she walked out.

Talia kept examining the map for hours, running over scenarios of how she could force the tear drinkers back to The Sea of Black Tears. Eventually it became dark, and she went to bed.

That night, a few of the Drowning Doom units snuck into the camp, and tracked down Talia. They grabbed her and slipped away into the night. Talia woke up a few hours later on an altar in The Sea of Black Tears. She tried to sit up but found herself chained to the altar.

"What the?" She asked, panic coming over her, "What's going on!?" She shouted.

"Our mistress as returned." A voice told her.

She looked to her left and saw a Grave Digger standing beside the altar, a pile of wooden bowls next to him.

"What do you want?" She asked him.

"We require our Mistress." The Grave Digger said, "The humans took her away from us years ago, but now she has returned."

"I'm not your Mistress!" Talia shouted trying to wrench herself free of the chains.

"But you wear our symbol." The Grave Digger said poking her chest, right in the middle of the falling crow symbol.

"I'm not your Mistress!" She screamed at him.

The Grave Digger turned from her and reached for a bowl, time seemed to slow as he dipped out of Talia's vision; she heard the splash of water and watched him stand back up. His bowl was now full of Black Water.

"No!" Talia screamed, trying to wrench herself from the altar, scooting over as far as possible.

The Grave Digger reached over and grabbed her arm, twisting hard to make her scream. When she was done he quickly forced the water down her throat, holding her mouth shut with incredible strength. As Talia swallowed the water, she felt her feet grow cold, glancing down she saw they were now a light blue.

The Grave Digger bent down, and again she heard the splash of water.

Talia screamed trying to get away, but the Grave Digger came back up and repeated the process over and over again, until Talia passed out, the last she knew the water had spread to her chest.

A few hours later, Talia awoke; she was lying free on the ground in the middle of the Sea of Black Tears, on the shore. She stood up, but her body felt eerily cold. She looked down to see her now completely blue body was clad in shifting shadows that formed the shape of a tight fitting dress that came down her thighs. She lifted her hands to see they were covered in shifting shadows that formed gloves that came up to her elbows. She looked in the black water below, it cleared so she could see her reflection. She had blazing white eyes surrounded by dark water, her face was completely blue and her hair fell past her head down almost four feet. She pushed herself up and found it was harder to move with the shadows binding her legs. She murmured something about dresses before taking a look around her. In the middle of the cave area she saw a legend statue. She drifted over to it, finding that she could slide along the ground by having the water at her feet pull her along. As she approached she looked into the blue sphere in the idol's clawed hands.

The story told of how her father, Eddy, was taken by his father, Rignarok, to live in the age of modern man, and when Rignarok died, Eddy grabbed an idol of Ormagodden, thinking it was a belt buckle, but when he was in an accident, his blood fell into the idol's mouth, summoning the spirit of Ormagodden, from there it took him to the Age of Metal, where his combination of Demon Blood and Roadie Skills allowed him to fight for the freedom of Bladehenge, for the honor of its people, and for the glory, of its metal.

Talia pulled away from the stone and looked at herself once more. She was obviously a member of the Drowning Doom, what else could explain the her skin and the inky shadows that spun around her, but this couldn't be because of that Grave Digger forcing her to drink so much black water, that would normally turn her into a minion, this transformation meant she had black water in her blood.

"Mother… your blood turned me into this…" She said clenching her fists.

"Mistress." A Grave Digger called to her.

Talia turned to see an army of the Drowning Doom.

"What will you have us do?" The Grave Digger asked bowing with his spade dug into the ground in front of him.

"I…I…" Talia looked around to see the others bowing to her.

"We'll march on the demons." She said, her confidence building slightly.

"Why?" The Grave Digger asked.

"Well, they're the demons, not one of us." She said sternly.

"That's true…" The Grave Digger said, considering this, "Alright. You heard the Mistress, let us not keep her waiting!"

The army slowly stood, before filing out of the cave.

"Mistress, the Black Water has gifted you with something." The Grave Digger who'd been force feeding her approached.

He held out a black guitar that was slimmer than Eddy's, it was a simple piece with an extended fret board, and shined with the reflection of the Black Water. She took the guitar and immediately felt a power try to take control of her.

"_What was that?" _Talia thought to herself as the power eventually receded.

After she regained complete control Talia strummed the guitar once.

"Is it to your liking Mistress?" The Grave Digger asked.

"Yes." She said slowly.

She began to play a haunting melody, when she finished a black version of her car appeared. It was darker than normal and it was no designed with a haunting aura about it.

She leapt into the driver's seat and sped off after her army, the Grave Digger rejoining his squad.

Talia led the army through the swamp and arrived at the camp of the Ironheade army, they were displaying a white flag of truce to allow them to close the distance.

Talia climbed out of her car and approached the main tent, what was her tent. She pushed the flap aside to see the leaders of Ironheade gathered around. They gasped when they saw her.

"Talia?" Lita asked, reaching out a hand to touch her.

Talia reached out her own hand and touched Lita's.

"What happened?"

"The Drowning Doom kidnapped me, apparently they thought I was my mother, and they force fed me Black Water to make me their ruler." Talia explained sadly.

"But, how?"

"I don't know, I think some of my mother's blood allowed the Black Water to affect me like this."

"Whatever happened to you, we have to be able to reverse it." Lita said grabbing Talia's shoulders.

Talia gasped as she felt the presence from before.

"_Kill them; make them your servants, for us…" _It told her.

"_No! I won't!"_ Talia shouted.

"Talia, what's going on?_" _Lita asked, backing away from her.

"What?" Talia asked looking up at Lita.

"You're shouting." Lita told her.

"Something's driving me… to kill you." Talia said grabbing her head and falling to her knees.

"Talia!" Lita shouted.

"Fight it Talia, you must defeat the inner beast that dwells inside you." Rima said, encouraging her.

"_Kill, fight, go to war, and make them drink the black waters! For us!" _The shouted in Talia's head.

"No!" Talia shouted, both out loud and in her mind.

The voice was driven back and Talia slowly regained control. She was gasping for breath. "What was that?"

"The Black Water inside you." Lita replied.

"What?" Talia looked up at her.

"The Water inside you is trying to take control, like it did your mother, you have to fight it Talia, for the safety of yourself, and our people."

Talia stood up and nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll try." She told them.

"Demons approaching from the south side!" Two scouts shouted, one from Ironheade, the other from the Drowning Doom.

Lita looked to Talia who turned and rushed out of the tent. She saw both armies preparing to fight the oncoming demon horde, as the demons advanced on their position; a stage was set up near the cliffs.

"Damn, we can't hold this position easily." Talia told herself.

"_I will help you in this matter; prepare a stage for our forces." _The Black Water told her.

Talia thought for a second. "Drowning Doom, prepare a stage to defend this area, make a squad of Grave Diggers, a Bride, and Two Frightwigs. Ironheade, a squad of Headbangers, and two razor girls!"

"Oh, so it seems the little girl has given in to a secret fetish." Urveil's voice echoed above them.

Talia took flight, her formerly demonic wings replaced with black water. She flew up as high as she could and found Urveil waiting there.

"Urveil…" She said, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I only came to see how you would handle being put in charge of the Black Water. It seems you're doing quite well for yourself." Urveil told her.

Talia screamed at him as she charged through the air. He descended, dodging her attack, laughing at her attempt.

"You really think you can defeat me?" He asked, "Why don't you settle this on the battlefield!" He called before flying off toward his stage.

"Come back here-"

"Talia!" Lita cried from the ground below.

Talia looked down to see their forces engaged with an army of Soul Kissers, being supported by Battle Nuns, a few Punishing Parties giving them support from the rear.

Talia descended and she heard the Black Water in her mind.

"_Your weapons are no longer effective in this form, you must learn to control the Black Water at your feet, will it to do your bidding…"_

Talia charged toward the Soul Kissers and brought her hand up in a clawing movement, black water came up in strips, slashing at the Soul Kisser nearest her. She turned and saw another group approaching her. She swung in a rapid assault, dealing damage to everything, as she was beginning to get surrounded she summoned her guitar, throwing it into the air before catching and striking a mighty power chord that shook the earth and sent the Soul Kissers flying. She turned to the Battle Nuns.

"Drowning Doom and Ironheade, upgrade the stages!" She called before charging in.

"Go! Attack those pathetic humans!" Urveil's voice called over the clamor of the battle.

"_Use your power to silence that pathetic demon fool."_ The Black Water commanded her.

Talia summoned her guitar and played a quick solo, wrappings appeared, attaching themselves to Urveil's head mid command, his troops milled around in confusion before attacking the enemies closest to them. Urveil himself flew back to his stage.

"Mistress, the stage has been upgraded." A Grave Digger told Talia.

"Tal, the stage is upgraded." A Headbanger informed her.

She nodded. "Drowning Doom, make two Ratguts, Ironheade, a squad of Fire Barons and two Headsplitters!"

She summoned her guitar once more and played the rally flag solo. Picking it up and setting it on her back she continued to engage the enemies, as her reinforcements arrived they pushed back the Demons, eventually arriving at their stage. An Overblesser leapt from the stage and the joint army immediately attacked it, attempting to take it down. Talia approached the Overblesser and played a solo, causing a large explosion of Black Water to drench Urveil and the Overblesser.

"Get three brides over here, as well as Three Organists, bring in more Headsplitters!" She called.

As the new wave of troops arrived they unleashed their full power on the stage causing it to collapse.

"Agh!" Urveil shouted at them. "You may have won this round, girl, but know that I'll be back!" He shouted at her before flying away.

Ironheade began to celebrate while the Drowning Doom returned to their gloomy stage. Talia approached the Ironheade stage and got up on the microphone.

"Listen to me! All of you!" She called into the microphone, "This war between Ironheade and The Drowning Doom has gone on long enough, we're all humans, or at least we were human. We need to join together, both of us, to drive the demons from this realm, and free us to prosper and give eternal peace!"

The assembled army cheered for her, both sides.

"I say we march on Urveil while he's weak, if we can take him out, there's nothing that can't stop us!"

The crowd cheered again.

Talia was grinning when a sudden pain in her head made her scream and collapse to the ground.

"_We will not allow you to do this! The Black Water needs sustenance, if you combine The Drowning Doom with the other humans the Black Water will starve!"_

"_So be it." _Talia thought back. She screamed as she felt the Black Water rack at her mind, trying to corrupt it, but she fought it hard, harder than anything she'd ever fought for before.

After a while she felt the water giving way, and she heard voices calling to her;

"Talia!"

"Mistress!"

Talia felt the Black Water recede completely and she opened her eyes.

Lita was looking down on her, kneeled down on one knee, a Grave Digger was standing over her, his spade dug into the ground beside him.

"What happened?" She asked.

Lita put her hand under her head and she noticed how warm she felt.

"You passed out screaming the entire time until just now, we didn't know what was going on so we didn't want to move you." Lita explained, "Also, I don't know what you did, but you should see yourself."

Lita held up a mirror and Talia gasped. She was back to her human self, her skin was the fair color it had been before, her black hair came down to her back, her clothes had been returned to normal, and her axes were back on her belt, she also noticed her guitar strapped across her back.

"What's this?" She asked reaching back and bringing it in front of her to examine.

It was her guitar from when she'd been leading the Drowning Doom, it looked exactly the same even though she'd changed back.

"Odd…" She said strapping it back to her back.

"You should rest. We don't know what kind of affects the Black Water has had on you after you've changed back." Lita suggested.

"She's right Mistress, rest for now, we will await your next command with patience." The Grave Digger told her.

Talia nodded and went to lay down in her tent. As she slept, she dreamt of her human-self and her drowned-self fighting and arguing over who should be in control.


	3. First Timer

Epic Legend  
Chapter 3: First Timer

Disclaimer: I do not own Brutal Legend or any of the characters involved except Talia

Talia stood up from the ground and felt the Black Water receding from her mind. This was the fourth time in a week that it had tried to take over.

"Talia, are you sure you're ok?" Lita asked her.

"I'm fine, now where were we?" She asked.

"We were discussing our next tactic for attacking the demons." Lita told her.

"Right." She nodded before re-examining the map.

The joint army of Ironheade and The Drowning Doom had advanced from the Zaulia Temple into the dead lands, the army had found out about a secret path into the mountains, but they were waiting for their scouts to report back to them.

"I think we should march on them, separating The Drowning Doom and Ironheade to pincer them in the middle." Talia suggested.

"But who would lead them?" Lita asked.

"You take Ironheade, I'll take The Drowning Doom." Talia told her.

"Are you sure about that?" Lita asked.

"I can handle it." Talia told her before leaving the tent, as she walked out she noticed The Drowning Doom gathered around their stage, looking, bored.

"Mistress." A Grave Digger said as Talia approached.

"What are you doing now?" She asked.

"We are waiting for your next command." He replied.

"Excellent, we'll be marching on the demon's soon, once we've defeated them, I'll find a way for you to live in peace with the humans of Bladehenge." Talia told them.

The army nodded at her, showing their support. Talia turned to talk to Ironheade when the Black Water tried to take her over again. She collapsed to her knees, grasping at her head.

"_You think you can lead the Drowning Doom without being one of them? Think again!"_

Talia felt her body grow cold, her hair extended and she felt the shadows gather about her body. She looked at her hands and saw they were clad in weaving shadows. She clenched her fists.

"_What is the meaning of this?" _She asked the Black Water.

"_You cannot lead The Drowning Doom against The Tainted Coil without being a tear drinker yourself, they swear their loyalty to you in their words, but their actions are yet untested." _The Water replied.

Talia growled to herself, hating the Black Water inside her. She drifted over to Ironheade and made the announcement of their plan, then she went to wait inside The Drowning Doom camp. It was a few hours before the scouts returned with news on the Demon Encampment. They were shown to the main command tent.

"The path into the mountains is where they've set up their new Stage, they've got a ton of units there." Said the Ironheade scout.

"Indeed Mistress. It will be difficult to dislodge them from their current position."

Talia considered this carefully. Looking over the map the scouts had drawn and thinking what their next plan of action would be.

"Alright, here's what I'm thinking we should do."

Talia dove in a deep and complex plan on how they would send their main forces up the path in a week's time. Before that, they would send some of their forces in secretly and have them set up somewhere behind the demons. When the main force marched up the path they would move in and pincer the demons with the main force, and crush them.

"It sounds good in theory, but how are we going to get our units up the ridge?"

"There's a secret entrance we found that would be perfect for sneaking guys up there." The Ironheade scout stated.

"That's perfect. You two get some rest, then we'll start sending guys tomorrow, you can show them where the path is and lead the troops to the new camp."

"Got it"

"Yes Mistress."

The two scouts left the tent and Talia looked to Lita, she looked upset.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just… The Tear Drinkers, the fact we're working together with them after they nearly killed us eighteen years ago…"

"I know Lita, but things change. I mean, look at me: Did I ever say I wanted to be Queen of the Black Water? I don't mind it so much anymore. It's actually quite useful on occasion." Talia smiled and Lita sighed before smiling back.

"Alright, we're moving up the path in a week and I know some of our guys aren't ready yet."

Lita nodded and set off to ready their forces.

A week passed by without anything eventful. The forces in the camp dwindled as more and more of them were sent to the stealth encampment. The plan seemed to be working as the scouts returned each night and told Talia of the camp and how it was progressing. Meanwhile in the main base, the Ironheade-Drowning Doom army was beginning to get along with each other. The Gravediggers were welcome around Headbanger fires and they swapped stories of how they killed demons.

Talia was sitting on a stump near the edge of the camp, she was back in her human form. So far the Black Water inside her and her human self hadn't been able to agree on anything and the Water was still fighting for control. Talia was getting better at keeping it suppressed and only letting it out when she needed its power.

"Talia." Lita said, approaching her from behind.

"Yeah?"

"We're ready."

"Good." Talia stood up from her stump and turned to see the whole camp was loaded onto two busses, one of which had been constructed for the Drowning Doom.

"Let's get going." Talia walked past Lita and summoned her car.

Hopping in she threw it in gear and drove off, the buses following behind her. They traveled for a few hours when they saw the lights from the Demon Stage on the horizon. Talia grabbed her walkie-talkie from her console and turned it on.

"We're here." She said.

The buses pulled up and swerved sideways to form an effective roadblock, the armies emerged from the buses and they set up their stages. Talia nodded as she saw the Drowning Doom Stage right next to the Ironheade Stage forming a blockade of the path.

"Looks like we're ready." Talia said, turning and looking at the Tainted Coil Stage. The Demons were milling about, readying themselves for the impending attack.

A static screech echoed on her walkie and she lifted it up "Hello?"

"Talia?" Eddie's voice said through the device.

"Dad?!" She asked, shocked.

"Talia! What are you doing here?" He asked.

"We're rescuing you and mom, oh the stories of what we've been through. You wouldn't believe it! We're working with the Drowning Doom. Humans are truly united against the Demons."

"Talia, listen to me, you need to leave, now!"

"What, why?"

"Urveil, he's trying something, we don't know what yet, but we know he's been talking about infinite power every night since he captured us."

"Dad. I've got this, I'll stop him. He won't come anywhere near that power."

"Is that so?" Urveil's said.

Talia looked up to see Urveil standing twenty feet in front of her.

She clipped the walkie on her belt and grabbed her two axes before charging him. He caught her double-overhead attack on his spear before kicking her in the chest and sending her back.

"You think you have the right, or the ability to stop me?" He asked.

"I will stop you, the Demons are over Urveil, give up!"

"Never! The Demons will rise, and I will change the future Emperor Succoria saw! We will rule the 'modern world."

"I won't let that happen." Talia said, glaring at him.

"We'll see about that, when you're ready, come face me on the battlefield, and we'll see who's truly superior." He spread his wings and flew off, his laughter echoing to them off the mountain sides.

Lita was running toward Talia, her halberd ready. "Talia! What he was Urveil doing here?"

"He was threatening us." Talia said, looking from Lita to the sky, "he said he will change the future and that demons will reign supreme, Dad talked to me over the walkie, and he said that Urveil's found some 'infinite power' to do just that. We need to stop him."

Lita put a hand on her shoulder and she looked back. "We will."


	4. Final Tour

Epic Legends  
Chapter 4: Final Tour

Disclaimer: I do not own Brutal Legend or any of the characters involved except Talia.

The joint Ironheade-Drowning Doom army was now assembled on the battlefield facing the Tainted Coil Stage. Talia was standing in front of the assembled army, her axes held firmly in both hands.

Urveil was staring at them from in front of his own army. His spear was held in a relaxed grip.

"Eviscerate!" Talia called, aiming her right axe at the Tainted Coil forces.

The double army charged with battle cries. "I want you to destroy them!" Urveil called, lifting his spear over his head.

The Tainted Coil army charged forward to attack the joint army.

The two forces collided in the middle of the field and fights began to break out.

A squad of Headbangers leapt onto a battle-nun who was being slowed by a pair of brides. Talia landed next to them and grabbed one of the two women, blasting off a set of lightning attacks that fried the Battle-nun.

Urveil was on top of a human slave who had pins sticking out of his back; he was ripping them from the back of the man and throwing them at a squad of Razor Girls who were vainly trying to fire back at him.

Six Gravediggers and a Frightwig were engaged with eight Soul Kissers and their Battle-Nun. Talia landed in the middle of the fray and leapt into the air, slamming into the ground and loosing a mighty power chord that sent the two squads of demons flying in random directions.

As the fights were breaking out and escalating multiple fan geysers were coming alive nearby. Urveil noticed this and flew over to one, playing a sickening, heavy melody and having one of his merch boots built upon the fountain. The spirits soared from the top of the fountain and into his stage. He set some of his workers on upgrading it.

Talia had noticed another fan geyser and flew over to claim it. She noticed that when the tower was built it was for Ironheade and the fans flew only to that stage.

"Damn, I'll have to change tunes in order to keep the Drowning Doom up with everyone else." She said to herself.

She felt the Black Water attempt to take her again, this time the urge was more powerful than ever. She was fighting with all of her might when the feeling receded. She was still human.

"Lita! Take command, I have to return to the buses for a second." Talia shouted at her.

She returned to the buses and sat down in one of the seats. She was inside her own mind, looking for her Drowned Self. It emerged from beneath the ground and smiled at her.

"Come to hand yourself over?" She asked.

"No, I've come to stop you from trying to kill me."

"I wouldn't do anything like that, I'm you after all."

"Then stop trying to take over in the middle of a battle, I could've died out there."

"But you didn't."

"That was pure luck!"

"Was it?"

The two bickered for what seemed like hours when eventually the static of the walkie interrupted Talia's thoughts.

"What is it?" Talia asked.

"Talia, it's Lita, the flanking forces arrived and wiped out the stage, we're routing the demons, but Urveil disappeared."

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

"Some of our troops report seeing him flying toward the Temple of Ormagodden."

"Understood, I'll go after him." Talia said, standing up from the bus seat.

"_You can't fly there yourself, you're not strong enough." _Drowned Talia told her.

"_I'll make it."_

"_And be too weak to fight Urveil when you arrive, let me take control and we'll be there and back in thirty minutes. Taking Urveil down should only take a second."_

"_No! I have to do this on my own!"_

The Drowned Talia's presence receded and Talia got off the bus. She saw the Demons were still putting up a strong resistance, but for the most part the joint army had them taken care of. She spread her wings and took off toward the Temple of Ormagodden. She traveled for hours, and as she began to fly over the ocean she felt her wings getting tired, and her body weakening.

"_I've gotta keep going, I can't give up now."_

"_Let me take over, we'll be fine." _Drowned Talia said to her

"_No! Go away!" _Talia shouted back

"_Talia, look, we're both in this together, I have nothing to gain if you lose contact with your friends."_

"_That's a lie. You want me to stop fighting for Ironheade and lead the Drowning Doom against them."_

Drowned Talia was silent for a minute.

"_I knew it."_

"_That point aside, what's stopping you from letting me take control against Urveil?"_

"_If I let you take control then it'll be you who stopped him, not me."_

"_So?"_

"_And what if I can't stop you once you've taken over? What if you go on to control the Drowning Doom against the humans of Ironheade?"_

"_Then why don't we work together?"_

"_What do you mean?" _Talia asked.

"_I'll give you some of my power, but you keep your human form and mentality."_

Talia thought about it for a minute, she lurched toward the ground as her wings fumbled. _"Alright."_

"_Excellent… We're almost at the temple. Once we arrive I'll gift you some of my power."_

Talia barely managed to land on the grounds in front of the temple. She collapsed to her knees as her wings receded into her back. Drowned Talia began to supply her some energy from herself. Talia noticed her body starting to turn blue. When she'd recovered enough energy she stood up and made her way into the temple.

Urveil was kneeling in front of the altar, his spear in the ground.

"So, you came." He said, standing up and ripping the spear out of the ground.

"I had to come stop you. You're going to destroy the world if you attempt to unlock this 'infinite power."

"So you know about that?" He asked, turning to face her.

"My dad told me." Talia said, drawing her axes from her belt.

"Ah, Edward… he was quite a guest I'll tell you, always threatening me with things he would do when he got out. He never did, at least while I was there. He's probably been freed now, but that won't make a difference once I've done what I set out to accomplish."

"And what's that?" Talia asked.

"My dear girl, you foolish Human girl." He began to laugh.

"Stop mocking me!" Talia shouted.

Urveil calmed and sighed, "I'm honestly surprised you haven't figured it out. I'm here to unlock the power of the Titans. I'll bring their power back to this world and put it inside my body. I'll become the single most powerful being in the world!"

Talia's eyes widened and her mouth was agape. "That's suicide! No one could hold that much power in their body and live!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Urveil said, a sudden blast of green energy ripped from the altar and spread throughout the room.

Talia screamed as it picked her up off her feet and threw her out of the temple. Urveil laughed maniacally as he was lifted into the air, his chest opened and the green energy began to pour inside. Talia picked herself up and noticed her skin turning blue again.

"_What are you doing?" _She asked her drowned self.

"_Saving you, your body isn't accustomed to this much energy. If I can give you some of my resistance you won't die."_

Talia looked up at Urveil, her eyelids becoming shaded and turning black. She spread her wings and flew up at him, she noticed they were darker than normal, and the leathery feel was more liquid. She rammed into Urveil at full speed and sent him spiraling toward the ground. The energy was still following him, and before he touched the temple floor it had picked him back up.

He absorbed the last of the energy and an explosion of force flew from his body sending Talia off balance.

"I've done it! The power of the Titans is mine!" He shouted, the mere sound of his voice seemed to shake the temple's structure.

Talia landed readied herself to fight him.

"Foolish girl! You cannot hope to stop me! The Titans are as ancient as the world itself! No one will be able to stand in my way anymore! No one will have the power!"

"Wrong! I have the power." Talia said.

"_Listen, give me all of your power, now." _She said to her drowned self.

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yes, now do it!"_

Talia felt the dark water begin to take control, but she fought it, not to push it back, but to control it. She fought to keep her mind with all her might, and she felt her body changing. Her skin returned to its normal white color. Her eyelids remained black and covered in the dark water, her clothes changed so they were as black and shining as the black water and her hair grew longer and sheened as well. Her body remained the same, but her wings changed so they were now a black leather that shined with the water's glow.

She opened her eyes and noticed her axes were larger, made of a black steel that shed dark water they looked like her father's axe. She grinned demonically and charged at Urveil, she flew much faster than ever before. Ramming him with her might she slashed at him with both axes cutting him across the chest.

He howled in pain as he backed away. "How is this possible?" he asked, feeling his chest and looking at his hand which was covered in his blood.

"Your power stems from the ancient roots of the Titans, but you must remember there is something far more ancient than them." Talia said, her voice was a combination of her human's higher pitch, with the dark tone of her drowned self.

"What? The Fire Beast? I can control him as well!" Urveil shouted at her.

"No, not the Fire Beast. The Black Waters, they were there since the world began. The Titans knew to fear it for even they were weak against its calling." She replied

Urveil's face lost its anger as she approached him. He lifted his spear in a vain attempt to stab her, but the black water formed a shield that captured the tip and ripped it out of his hands. Taila put her left axe on her back and lifted him up by the throat.

"Your reign of terror ends here Urveil." She said, before throwing him into a pillar.

The energy from earlier began to pour out of his body.

"What's happening?" He asked, seeing the spiritual green energy leaving his body and return to the temple.

"The Titans realize how foolish it was for you to try and take their power, and now they're taking it back."

Urveil yelled in fury as the energy was drained from him, when it stopped he fell onto his side. His body cold and lifeless, all of his energy had been taken as well. Talia put her other axe away and noticed Urveil's spear lying cast aside. She picked it up and put it on her back as well. She then looked at Urveil's lifeless body. Carefully, she picked it up and lifted into the air. She flew back to the mountains and landed in the middle of the battlefield. The Demons that had survived were in astonishment as she handed them the corpse of their leader.

"Go, return to the grounds from which you came and never return. If any of us see you again, we will hunt you down and exterminate your race." She said.

The demons quickly turned and left the battle-field, carrying Urveil like a war-hero. They returned to their underground tunnels and mines.

Talia turned to face Lita who was staring at her in shock.

"Talia?" She asked.

"The same." She replied.

She felt a tugging sensation on her body and soon, she felt the black water recede from her completely. She looked down to her right and saw a puddle of Black Water. It began to form up and take a shape. The Drowning Doom gasped as the shape was revealed to be Drowned Talia.

Talia herself was staring in shock and amazement. "What is this?" She asked.

Drowned Talia turned to her and smiled. "I don't know." She replied, "I guess your body rejected me even after we worked together."

2 weeks later…

Talia was standing in front of Drowned Talia. The two of them were at a loss for words. After the defeat and exile of the Demons, the Drowning Doom had accepted the offer to live in peace with the humans of Bladehenge, but they were still staying in the dead lands and the outer regions of the swamp. Talia was standing on the bridge with her Drowned Self, the two were supposed to be saying good-bye, but how do you leave yourself?

"So…" Talia began.

"Quite the adventure huh?" Drowned Talia said.

"Yeah…"

"So, what are you gonna do now?"

"I'm going to return to Bladehenge with my parents, maybe raise a family."

Drowned Talia smiled at her, "That's a nice goal. I suppose I'll return to the Black Water's shores. We'll need to build in order to settle these lands."

"And they'll need a leader." Talia put a hand on Drowned Talia's shoulder.

"Same goes for you." She replied.

They smiled, staring at each other before they turned to leave. They left the bridge and returned to their respective homelands. Over the next few years the Humans of Bladehenge and the Humans of the Black Water worked together and lived in peace. The two Talias working together to retain peace.


End file.
